Disney has been hiding an animated film from you for over 80 Years! During World War II, the Studio was taken over by military, and non-conscripted artists were set to work on government films. Disney produced over 30 propaganda, training, and educational shorts, but in 1943 released Victory Through Airpower, the studio’s seventh feature-length animation. Instead of focusing on princesses or cute animals, it told the history of aviation and promoted advantages of strategic aerial bombing. Disney’s then-distribution partner RKO refused to release it – with United Artists taking it instead. Outside of wartime, it’s never received an official theatrical re-release, due to being deemed offensive to Germans and Japanese. Though it’s received ONE home media release – a limited historical set for adult collectors – it’s been off the market for almost 20-years. There’s little mention of it in official Disney texts, and you won’t see it on Disney Plus, or likely ever in HD. Disney doesn’t even consider it amongst their ‘canon’ of Animated films.
